Shortfloating

15mm Inlaid Feather River Stick. Silk whipped, sealed and varnished with bottom and mid body line loops.

Short fishing is a very effective fishing method that has been employed in running water by river anglers for many decades; now being used by lake anglers. Is a method that allows the angler to be selective when it comes to what species of fish he wants to target. We now know it as something that controls the hook length and a shorter hook length is a method that can be an advantage in the colder part of the season although a bottom weight can have the same effect. In any fishery knowing why they will bite and how they will bite is important. Short fishing is a rig that entices fish that are opportunist feeders rather than, like carp, which like to test their food, have a routine search route and rarely take ‘on the drop’ and therefore, for them, the long rig presented on the bottom is usually best. Search the web for underwater action shots to fine tune your personal favourite summer and winter rigs. Unlike the morphology of a river which is very complex and forever changing, a lake bed tends to be static in its geography but even fish still need to be targeted, however, short float tactics are best used on a river. A river can be divided into sections known as runs and pools. Runs are medium to fast flowing sections while pools are slower, deeper sections. This is what the short float angler is looking for. Fish will rest whenever they have the opportunity. To conserve their energy as they move upstream to lay up in pockets of slow water along a run. Short floating is magic in these waters as it allows resting fish time to consider and take bait that is not going to rush away. Different to the smooth running water the chub prefer where a stick float held against the flow is adopted.

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